Singapore Competition Agency To Look At Uber Tie-Up With ComCab's Owner's, ComfortDelGro

             Murkier and murkier!!!

SINGAPORE (Reuters) - Singapore’s competition commission said on Monday it plans to do further in-depth assessment of the tie-up between the city-state’s top Taxi operator, ComfortDelGro, and Uber [UBER.UL], after an initial review. 

The agency said it had requested further information from both parties to be submitted by March 5, after which it will assess whether their tie-up infringes Singapore’s competition laws. 

“CCS (Competition Commission of Singapore) is unable to conclusively determine that competition issues will not arise,” it said in a statement. 

ComfortDelGro said in a statement that “both parties remain committed to this partnership”. 

ComfortDelGro said in December it would buy a 51 percent stake in a unit of Uber that runs a fleet of private hire vehicles, as the companies seek to bridge the gap with dominant ride-hailing firm Grab.

Is this a case of, if you can't beat em, join em?

from Taxi Leaks http://ift.tt/2HDuvqo
via IFTTT

Bank of England's Chief Cashier Reveals She Doesn't Trust Technology TfL Say We Have To.

I don't pay with contactless cards because I don't quite trust it, says the Bank of England's chief cashier whose signature is on every banknote

The Bank of England's chief cashier has revealed she doesn't use contactless cards because she doesn't completely trust the technology.

Victoria Cleland, whose signature is on every Bank of England note, said she prefers to use cash for small transactions.

The 47-year-old also says predictions of the death of cash are premature, insisting that 'cash is definitely here to stay.'

'I personally don't really use contactless,' she told the Guardian.

Victoria Cleland, the Bank of England's chief cashier has revealed she doesn't use contactless cards because she doesn't completely trust the technology

'To be blunt, it wasn't on my card for a long time and so I've just got into the habit of preferring not to.

'And I do hear stories of friends - this is a personal anecdote, this isn't the official Bank view - whose money has been taken off contactless when you walk past something.

'And it's only up to £30. So I use cash for lower transactions anyway and for big ones contactless wouldn't work.'

Ms Cleland said cash was used for 44 per cent of all transactions in 2016, the last year for which there is data available.

Ms Cleland, whose signature is on every Bank of England note, said she prefers to use cash for small transactions

How secure are contactless cards?

There has been a massive rise in contactless payments following the introduction of bank cards that allow it for transactions of £30 or under

Most banks in the UK now issue their cards as contactless cards meaning they can be used for transactions of £30 or under without a PIN or signature.

Other methods of contactless payment include using smartphones, mobile phone apps, key fobs and wearable devices including watches and wristbands.

According to the UK Cards Association, one in four card payments are now contactless – totalling more than £3.3 billion every month.

Contactless cards are built using the same secure system as Chip & PIN with each including a range of security features to safeguard information and protect customers from fraud.

There have also not been any confirmed reports of money being stolen from a contactless card while still in its owner's possession, according to the association.

However, customers will get their money back from their bank if they are a victim of fraud.

The figure is down from 50 per cent the previous year and 68 per cent ten years ago, but she says there is still a growth in the 'total demand for cash.'

But her comments come as data shows the decline of cash is set to hit a turning point this year with cards overtaking notes and coins as the country's favoured payment method.

Britain will quickly blow past the point of 'peak cash' when card usage overtakes cash as the most popular way to pay.

It follows a massive rise in contactless payments following the introduction of bank cards that allow it for transactions of £30 or under.

It is estimated that only a fifth of sales will involve cash by 2026, according to the Guardian.

from Taxi Leaks http://ift.tt/2GBDreC
via IFTTT

Deputy mayor for transport slams government for abandoning London's transport network as TfL faces near £1bn deficit

London's deputy mayor for transport will issue a rebuke of government today for abandoning the capital's transport network as Transport for London (TfL) faces a near £1bn operational deficit next year.

The organisation is dealing with the loss of government funding, as well as a surprise fall in passenger numbers, and tonight, Val Shawcross will call for a reinstatement of London's "vital transport funding" to help shore up future progress.

[No surprise in passenger falling numbers Val, TfL have overloaded London’s streets with unnecessary private hire vehicles, to raise funds from licence fees. 

Bus journeys are heavily affected as passengers caught up in massive congestion, added to by TfL and the Mayors Cycle schemes. 

We could of pointed this out long ago Val had you not turned your back in the Licensed Taxi trade and refused meetings]

Speaking at the International Transport Workers' Federation urban transport committee at City Hall, Shawcross will say: "With the economic uncertainty of Brexit, it’s more important than ever that the government supports our capital - because when London succeeds, the country succeeds."

[pedestrianisation of major streets will also cause more congestion, more pollution and more bus delays causing passengers to look for alternate transport] 

Our capital is the beating heart of the UK and our roads are the arteries, so it’s just astounding that the government is not only prepared to take away vital funding but make London’s drivers pay for roads outside the capital.

We’ve seen from the success of the Crossrail project how investment in London can benefit the whole of the country, and it’s vital that the government uses its spring statement next month to reinstate TfL’s funding and keep the capital moving.

TfL's budget is £700m a year lower after the government's decision in 2015 to strip back the operating grant, while the capital's transport bosses are also angry that the government has said that from 2021, the £500m raised each year through Londoners' vehicle excise duty will be invested solely in roads outside the capital. 

City Hall says Londoners are paying for roads across the UK with no contribution towards the upkeep of the roads they will be driving on, and the costs of running London's roads are being subsidised from public transport fare-payers. 

[Many Londoners have paid for and are still paying for roads in the capital that are being taken away from motorist by the Mayor and TfL to be given to pedestrians and cyclist who as such have not contributed a penny towards London’s roads]

The capital's transport chiefs have also said the government has blocked London from accessing the new £220m national clean air fund. 

[possibly because TfL and the Mayor’s schemes have caused most of the unclean air] 

A fresh blow in recent weeks came with transport secretary Chris Grayling stepping in to block TfL's planned motorist fine hike, saying the rise, which was forecast to bring in an extra £80m, would be "excessive".

The move drew criticism from London Assembly Labour member Tom Copley at the time, who said: "Chris Grayling has form when it comes to playing politics with London's transport network, having already reneged on the deal to devolve suburban rail services to TfL. It is unfortunate that he continues to do so."

The mayor has pushed for a major overhaul of TfL with significant savings needed, though critics have said his partial fare freeze has added to the pressure.

Shawcross meanwhile, has said the axing of government funding is not sustainable for the capital in the long-run.

So far, the budget reduction has meant all non-essential road improvements have been paused for two years.

Separately, the fall in passenger numbers has led to the cancellation of two major Tube upgrades on the Northern and Jubilee Lines, as the Tube is the only part of the network to make a profit. 

The Department for Transport has previously said on the issue: "We are taking the big decisions for Britain’s future and investing a record £23bn on our roads to improve journeys for motorists.

“It is the responsibility of the mayor to determine how Transport for London’s budget is spent.”

from Taxi Leaks http://ift.tt/2BFyfHr
via IFTTT

Two Dead In Shocking Night Of Violence...Local Mum Speaks Out !

TWO young men have been stabbed to death in Camden within the space of an hour, with reports of several other attacks throughout the night.

A 17-year-old boy was attacked with a knife in Kentish Town, near the Peckwater estate, at 8:30pm. He was pronounced dead 30 minutes later, just yards from the shrine to a 19-year-old who was killed on Sunday.

A second young man was stabbed to death in Malden Road, Queen’s Crescent, at around 10pm.

He has been named locally as Sadiq Aadam, the brother of 20-year-old Mohamed Aadam, who was murdered in Hampstead Road in September. Their cousin, Mohamed Abdullahi, was murdered in 2013 aged 20.

Police closed Islip Street in Kentish Town

Police are carrying out extra patrols and officers have been given emergency powers to stop and search anyone, without the need for “reasonable grounds” of suspicion. Known as Section 60 order, it is a measure often introduced after serious flare-ups of youth violence and means anyone in the area can be detained and frisked.

The Met said: “Urgent enquiries are underway to establish the full circumstances and identify if there are any links between the two incidents.”

There were reports on social media of up to six stabbings taking place within the space of a few hours on Tuesday night. Police confirmed there had been two murders, but said they unaware of any other “critical incidents”.

In Kentish Town, paramedics and police officers battled to save the boy’s life on the pavement at the junction of Islip Street and Bartholomew Road. He was pronounced dead at the scene.

Neighbours said that he lived with his family on the nearby Peckwater estate, where a shrine was built on Sunday night in the memory of 19-year-old Lewis Blackman, who was murdered in West London.

The shrine was built next to one in the memory of his friend, Nuno Cardoso, a law student who died after collapsing in a police van in December.

Flowers to Nuno Cardoso and Lewis Blackman 

The community centre on the Peckwater estate was opened up late tonight to provide shelter for the relatives of the latest victim, who have gathered at the scene. A group of around 50 friends and family were at the scene.

TAXI LEAKS EXTRA BIT : From Local Mum and friend of the London Taxi Trade Mandy J Sanderson. (Taken from Facebook).

What on earth is the world coming too! 

Young men losing there lives, mothers losing there sons, just tonight 4 or 5 stabbings on our doorstep. What is going on, words fail me, my heart goes out to all families who are affected by this madness its so scary

Camden Council in there wisdom cut back the youth service, they took away the one thing these kids had to help them survive.

And now look whats going on, no guidance, no support anywhere for the youth to be mentored, to learn a different way. Its all gone to shit...but yet, Camden take millions in revenue from issuing PCNs alone, they pay shit loads out in expense accounts for there over paid brain dead staff, wtf is that all about.

The power's that be need to get some common sense factors initiated right now god dam. 

For instance lets take Camden's recycling centre who crush millions of pounds of decent computers, bikes, toys etc daily. 

Lets set up a project where the youth could have a workshop where there use the parts from one broken bike to repair another broke bike and make a nice fully working bike which could then be sold off on site, and a percentage of the profit goes to the youth that did this project. 

Hence teaching the youth, if you take the time to work, you can earn money. If they channel their energy into this sort of stuff they will be too tired to go out looking for trouble and will learn if you work hard you can have money without breaking the law. 

But no one wants to give these kids a chance, no one wants to show them a better way.

They could make a start in schools. We need to bring back proper assemblies,where they talk to kids about respect and manners and how far these life skills go. I honestly learnt so much from our school assemblies its time to bring it back.

from Taxi Leaks http://ift.tt/2BEajEi
via IFTTT

Glamour Model Turned Cabby, Joins Team Of Ex-Page 3 Girls To Help Cancer Stricken Colleague

We all remember The Sun newspaper's page 3 girls, how could anybody possibly forget them. They were as much a part of British culture over the last few decades as pie and mash.

Sadly, one of those iconic ladies has been stricken with Adenoid Cystic Carcinoma, a very rare form of cancer.

Belinda Charlton Gilfoyle, 48 and pictured above, was diagnosed with the illness 4 years ago, it has attacked her tongue and has spread to her lungs and her breastbone.

Unfortunately, the NHS are unable to treat Belinda, there is, however the possibility of a ground-breaking treatment abroad, which will give her a real fighting chance.

Glamour model turned taxi driver Donna Ewin, plus several other models, have flown into action to help their friend and fellow page 3 girl.

A charitable event to help raise funds for Belinda's treatment will take place on 28th March with full details to be released soon. The girls have also started a go-fund-me page to help Belinda, the target figure is £250,000. This figure will help facilitate Belindas treatment and give her a real shot at beating her illness.

I spoke to the ever-popular, Donna Ewin, who decided to follow in her fathers footsteps to become a cabby 17 years ago, she said:

 "Belinda is a beautiful person, inside and out, she is a loving wife, mother and grandmother. She is incredibly brave and her selflessness is truly amazing. We are here to ask the public for help so that she has a fighting chance to beat this awful illness."

Donna added: "please, if you are able to, make a donation, no matter how small the amount, every penny will help this wonderful woman."

If you wish to donate, please visit:

https://www.gofundme.com/help-us-cure-belinda

Article from TaxiPoint 

from Taxi Leaks http://ift.tt/2GxakZQ
via IFTTT

Nottingham Council Show TfL How It Should Be Done.

TAXI LEAKS EXTRA BIT UP FRONT 

Nottingham council are showing the was forward. Not only are the council investing in Electric Charging infrastructure, they are actually buying a small number of new ULEV Taxi to lease out to drivers who can't afford to buy directly. Plus, they are also to carry on promoting the present Euro VI models. 

Below is an article from The Business Desk: 

Nottingham's famous enough Green Taxis.

Nottingham City Council is driving changes to the city’s fleet of taxis as it continues on a journey of improvement.

Next week it will unveil eco-friendly hackney cab vehicles, and a new app, as part of an ongoing programme of changes.

The most noticeable change will be a new black-and-white livery that will replace the existing green cabs.

More significantly, the council will be placing orders for a small number of Ultra Low Emission Vehicle (ULEV) models and investing in supporting charging infrastructure.

It has the ambition of all of the city’s cabs, which currently total 411, to be either ULEV models or meet Euro VI, a European Union directive that sets standards for emissions from light commercial vehicles.

The changes will contribute to achieving air quality standards and support any potential Clean Air Zone, the council said.

Cllr Toby Neal from Nottingham City Council said: “For too long, taxis have been the poor relation in Nottingham’s integrated transport network.

“This is a really exciting transformation of taxi services in our city.

“It means we will no longer have cabs churning out exhaust fumes while sitting in the rank, so it benefits everyone in the city, not just taxi passengers.”

A new app has been developed by MyTaxi, which has 18,000 drivers signed up in London alone. Nottingham becomes the first UK city to follow London in launching the service that allows passengers to book a hackney from their smart phone, use cashless payment and have their journey and driver logged.

from Taxi Leaks http://ift.tt/2EGYmAD
via IFTTT

Appeal after woman sexually assaulted in private hire car on Christmas Day

Officers from the Met's Taxi and Private Hire team are appealing for witnesses after a woman was sexually assaulted in a mini-cab on Christmas day. 

At around 01:40hrs on Monday, 25 December the victim, a 20-year-old woman, attempted to hire a mini-cab in Croydon but was unable to do so.

A group of females approached the woman, one of whom ordered her a mini-cab from her mobile phone.

When the mini-cab arrived at the top of Laud Street/High Street, the woman got in and asked to be taken home. 

Around 15 minutes into the journey, the driver stopped in Penge Road/Sunnybank Road where he sexually assaulted her. 

She managed to get away out of the rear door and flagged down a passing car whose occupants called police. The driver then made off. 

The suspect is described as a male with brown skin.

PC Louise Coleman, from the Roads and Transport Policing Command, said: "The suspect took complete advantage of a vulnerable female and the incident has left her extremely shaken. 

"If you were there that night, or have any information which could help progress this investigation, please get in touch."

Police would like to speak with any members of the group who helped the victim get a mini cab, particularly the female who ordered the mini cab for her.

 

If you were part of this group or have any information, you are urged to contact the Taxi and Private Hire Policing Investigations Unit on  0208 345 1076.

Alternatively, you can also call Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111 or online at http://www.crimestoppers-uk.org

from Taxi Leaks http://ift.tt/2oi8u8T
via IFTTT